Spraying apparatus

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for spraying refractory material in a wet slurry form on interior walls of soaking pits, blast furnaces, and the like with a spraying device which is attached to a movable boom or equal and is controllable from a location outside the interior of the structure being sprayed. The spraying device combines a liquid and a particulate material in a manner that the particulate material is sprayed on the interior walls of the structure. In addition, the spraying device is provided with an annular air nozzle which sprays compressed air in such a manner as to retain the sprayed material when applying the particulate material to the wall.

United States Patent [191 Keibler Sept. 2, 1975 SPRAYING APPARATUS [21] Appl. No.: 415,941

[52] US. Cl. 239/227; 118/303; 118/327; 239/296', 239/588 [51] llnt. Cl. BOSB 3/12; B05B 7/16; 3058 15/06 [58] Field of Search 239/290, 291, 296, 292, 239/587, 297, 298, 300, 301, 588, 225, 227,

3,797,745 3/1974 Haus 239/227 FOREIGN PATENTS 01R APPLICATIONS 1,324,742 5/1963 France 239/587 Primary Examiner-M. Henson Wood, Jr. Assistant Examiner-Andres Kashnikow Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Roy E. Petherbridge; Robert L. Lindgren; Edward D. Gilhooly 57 i ABSTRACT An apparatus for spraying refractory material in a wet slurry form on interior walls of soaking pits, blast furnaces, and the like with a spraying device which is attached to a movable boom or equal and is controllable from a location outside the interior of the structure being sprayed. The spraying device combines a liquid and a particulate material in a manner that the particulate material is sprayed on the interior walls of the structure. In addition, the spraying device is provided with an annular air nozzle which sprays compressed air in such a manner as to retain the sprayed material when applying the particulate material to the wall.

1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,082,330 6/1937 Frede et al 239/227 2,814,530 11/1957 Portillo 239/296 2910993 11/1959 Phillips 118/323 X 3,074,649 l/l963 Atkins0n.... 239/227 X 3,301,488 l/l967 Norris 239/290 X 3,351,289 ll/l967 Demaison 239/227 X 3,460,988 8/1969 Kennedy, Jr. et a1. 239/227 X 3,476,318 11/1969 Eckert 239/291 X 3,531,054 9/1970 Pulk 239/587 SPRAYING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE- INVENTION This invention relates in general to coating devices and, in particular, to an apparatus for spraying particulate material on the walls of a structure.

More specifically, the invention relates to an apparatus for spraying particulate material wherein there is included a spraying device which combines particulate material with a liquid such as water in a manner that the mixture is sprayed upon the interior walls of structures such as soaking pits and blast furnaces utilized in the steel industry. The spraying device is attached to an externally controllable boom or equal which permits the spraying device to be manipulated relative to the wall for completing coating thereof. In addition, the spraying device includes a novel pneumatic annular nozzle for directing an annular stream of compressed air controlling rebond of particulate material and the cleaning of the shell and cooler plates.

In the production of steel and similar industries, very large structures are utilized such as blast furnaces, soaking pits, and the like. During the continued use of these facilities, their inner walls tend to deteriorate to the point that their effectiveness can be impaired. Thus, coating materials are applied to these inner walls not only to repair damaged sections but also to apply protective coating on all portions of the wall in a manner that the useful lifetime is vastly extended.

A common substance utilized to coat the inner walls is a refractory material that provides extremely good resistance to deterioration in a high temperature environment of blast furnaces and is in the form of a particulate material. Thus, in order to facilitate adherence of this material to vertical walls and the like of a facility such as a soaking pit, it is necessary that water or other liquid be mixed in a slurry form and the mixture then ejected as a spray on the surface for adherence.

The prior art technique of applying the mixture to inner walls has been a time-consuming and costly process. The most common method of applying this material in the past has been through the use of a manually held sprayer which requires that an operator be present within the blast furnace and the like during the spraying operation. Since soaking pits, blast furnaces and such structures are extremely large, the prior art technique of using hand Sprayers required that scaffolds be built within the confines of the inner walls which had to be physically moved to cover the surface. The scaffold was in the form of a swinging structure suspended from a cable which was raised and lowered by means of a stationary winch. As the walls are sprayed, the scaffold had to be constantly lowered and raised and sometimes the hanging of the scaffold had to be modified to meet the constantly changing diameter of a blast furnace stack. The tedious process of supporting a man adjacent the wall was not only time consuming but definitely presented a dangerous safety hazard.

In addition to the problems of physically supporting a man adjacent the inner lining, the fact that the nozzle spraying the solution had tobe manually held limited the size of the spraying device, which increased the time necessary to accomplish a given job. Another problem resulting from the prior art technique of spraying was the fact that the spraying device inefficiently applied the material to the wallswhereby much of the particulate material would collect on'the bottom of the facility which resulted in wasted material that had to be removed at a later time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, an object of this invention to increase the spraying of material.

Another object of this invention is to increase the efficiency at which particulate material is applied to the wall of a structure.

A further object in the invention is to increase the spraying of material applied to walls of structures of large dimensions.

A still further object of this invention is to increase the efficiency at which particulate material is applied to the interior walls of large structures.

These and other objects are attained in accordance with the present invention wherein there is provided an improved apparatus for spraying a solution of particulate material for application to the walls of large structures such as blast furnaces, soaking pits, and the like. The apparatus includes a spraying device which is attachable to the end of a conventional boom or structure which permits the most manipulation of a spraying device to accomplish efficient spraying of material to the walls of the structure.

The spraying device of the invention combines a spray of water with the particulate material for application to the lining of the pit or furnace. The necessity for an operator of the apparatusto be within the furnace is eliminated whereby he is safely outside and can direct the spraying of material remotely. By being outside the area and without the necessity of being supported by a scaffold, hazards to personnel, which may be in violation of the Federal Occupational and Health Administration regulations is alleviated. Moreover, since the spray device is supported by a boom or structure, a significantly larger capacity device can be utilized for spraying a larger volume or increased flow rate of material actually increasing the tons-per-hour application rate. v

This use of the boom or structure supported flow mixer of the invention not only eliminates the mixing equipment necessary when hand nozzles are utilized, but reduces the number of men required to apply the material. The apparatus of the invention is also provided with a pneumatic annular nozzle positioned adjacent to the sprayed solution whereby the compressed air flow directed from the nozzle controls the application of the material to limit the area the particulate material is deflected so that increased and more efficient coating of material is applied to the lining for an elimination of the build-up of uncoated material.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further objects of the invention, together with additional features contributing thereto and advantages accrueing therefrom, will be apparent from the following description of an embodiment of the invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. wherein:

FIG. 1 is a prospective side illustration of the apparatus for spraying material of the invention mounted ad jacent to the wall of a soaking pit;

FIG. 2 is a side schematic illustration of the spraying device used in the apparatus of the invention;

FIG. 3 is an end schematic illustration of the spraying device of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective illustration of the spraying device of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, there is illustrated the apparatus of the invention for spraying material on the interior walls of structures. Although not intended to be so limited, for convenience of illustration the apparatus is shown in FIG. 1 in operative position within a conventional soaking pit utilized in the production of steel. The spraying apparatus 1 of the invention is mounted within the soaking pit by means of a boom means 2 which permits upward, downward, and lateral manipulation of the spraying device from a location external to the soaking pit.

Spray apparatus 1, is easily adapted to any boom means such as, for example, the boom 2 supporting a hammer 3 for removing slag from the wall 4 of soaking pit and the like. The boom is mounted on turret 5 for 360 rotation and hydraulic means 6 permits the boom to be lowered or raised. Boom is telescopic in form and the lower portion 2a with pivotal hammer 3 can, therefore be raised or lowered. Any suitable means is utilized to attach the apparatus directly to the slag hammer.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, there is illustrated the novel spray apparatus of the invention for applying a refractory material to the walls 4 of soaking pit. Apparatus 1 includes a mixing housing 10 having an interior passage 10a which is coupled to a conventional nozzle element 11. An inlet coupling 12 is attached to the other end of the passage of housing 10 and is adapted to be attached to a particulate material supply hose (not shown) which delivers particulate material into the housing for spraying against the wall of the soaking pit. The supply conduit supplies particulate material and the like to inlet 12 and is adapted to be attached to any conventional pressure source which permits the delivery of particulate material from a location exterior of the pit. The hose can be coupled to boom 2 in any desired manner.

As best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, housing 10 is also coupled to a pair of liquid conduits which are adapted to supply a liquid such as water to interior passage l0a under pressure in a manner that the flowing particulate material supplied to passage 10a and water mix to be ejected through nozzle 11. The mixing of the liquid and the particulate material in housing 11 can be achieved in any conventional manner. The flow of water or other liquid through pipe 14 can be controlled by an electrically actuated control valve 15 operable from an external position to regulate the amount of flow and flow rate of the liquid and thus fluid mixture ejected by nozzle 11.

From the foregoing it should be apparent that the particulate material introduced into housing 10 through inlet 12 and the liquid introduced at two locations into housing 10 through pipes 14 intermix in a known manner and as a mixture flow outward through nozzle 11 for delivery to the wall. Mixing chamber 10 is mounted on a support structure 21 which is retained on a turret element 22. Turret 22 is operably connected by a shaft means to an electric gear motor or variable speed motor 23 supported within a box 23a to effect rotational movement of the turret to control the direction of flow being ejected by nozzle 11.

The rotational movement of turret 22 can be controlled from the exterior by an operator controlling the operation as outlined previously. Apparatus l is supported by means of a removable bracket 24 which is secured to hammer 3 of boom means 2 and can be removed and attached thereto in a conventional manner. A pneumatic nozzle means 35 is also attached to turret 22 and includes an upright pipe 31 coupled to a connector element 32. An inlet pipe 33 delivers a supply of compressed air, for delivery into upright pipe 30.

A lateral pipe 34 is suitably coupled to the upper end of pipe 30 and includes a nozzle 35 means having a plurality of jets 36 encircling the area being sprayed to direct the stream of air in vicinity and direction that the refractory material is being sprayed by nozzle 11. The stream of compressed air creates a conical pattern encircling the area of the spray of refractory material 11 which achieves significantly improved adherence of particulate material to the lining and eliminates buildup of unattached material at the bottom of a pit and elsewhere which appears in the prior art techniques of coating walls. The presence of the pneumatic spray prevents the formation of a cloud of refractory material which can occur during a spraying operation.

In operation, an operator of the spray apparatus of the invention is situated exeriorly of a furnace or soaking pit on a platform or otherwise and can follow the application of the refractory material visually or through closed circuit TV or holes cut in the lining of the blast furnace. The operator also is able to control not only the flow of particulate material through the nozzle, but is also able to introduce the right amount of water by means of electrically controlled water valve 15. Because of the mounting of the fluid control device upon the boom or support means 2, the relative moveability of the manipulator and the rotational movement provided by turret 22, the material sprayed by the nozzle can be moved up or down, angularly, and rotated through a circular angle of 360.

While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for the elements thereof without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teaching of the invention without departing from its essential teaching.

What is claimed is: 1. An apparatus for spraying a mixture of particulate material in a wet slurry form on a wall comprising:

mixing means for combining a particulate material and pressurized liquid, said mixing means including a housing having an inlet to supply the particulate material and a pair of liquid conduits to supply the liquid, said mixing means further including an electrically actuated control value coupled to said pair of liquid conduits to regulate the flow of the liquid;

nozzle means coupled to said mixing means for spraying the mixture of particulate and liquid on a wall;

structural means for supporting said mixing means and for permitting manipulation of said mixing means to control the direction of the spray, said structural means being manipulatable from a location remote from said mixing means;

said structuralmeans comprising a support element,

a turret element and an electric motor, said support element being retained on said turret element which supports said mixing means for rotational movement about an axis substantially perpendicular to the direction of the spray, said turret element being operably connected to the output shaft of 5 said electric motor to effect the rotational movement;

said structural means further including manipulatable means for pivotally supporting said turrct element for movement about at least a second axis rounding relationship of the mixture being sprayed.

UNITED STATES PATENT orFlcE CEBTIFIQATE 0F QSRRECTION Patent No. 5,902,669 Dated September 2, 1975 l Richard C. Keibler It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 5, line A, the reference numeral "15" should be Column L, line 57, the word "value" should be --valve--.

Signed and Scaled this twenty-third Day of March 1976 [SEAL] A ttest:

RUTH C. MANSON C. MARSHALL DANN Atlesrlng ()fjner (ummixsiunvr uflarenrs and Trademarks 

1. An apparatus for spraying a mixture of particulate material in a wet slurry form on a wall comprising: mixing means for combining a particulate material and pressurized liquid, said mixing means including a housing having an inlet to supply the particulate material and a pair of liquid conduits to supply the liquid, said mixing means further including an electrically actuated control value coupled to said pair of liquid conduits to regulate the flow of the liquid; nozzle means coupled to said mixing means for spraying the mixture of particulate and liquid on a wall; structural means for supporting said mixing means and for permitting manipulation of said mixing means to control the direction of the spray, said structural means being manipulatable from a location remote from said mixing means; said structural means comprising a support element, a turret element and an electric motor, said support element being retained on said turret element which supports said mixing means for rotational movement about an axis substantially perpendicular to the direction of the spray, said turret element being operably connected to the output shaft of said electric motor to effect the rotational movement; said structural means further including manipulatable means for pivotally supporting said turret element for movement about at least a second axis transverse of the direction of the spray; said manipulatable means including a boom to raise and lower said mixing means, and a removable bracket to support said apparatus to a hammer of said boom; and pneumatic means being mounted for rotatable movement in concert with said mixing means and for directing a plurality of pneumatic annular jets in surrounding relationship of the mixture being sprayed. 